Target evaluation

ABSTRACT

APPARATUS FOR THE EXACT EVALUATION OF HITS ON A SHOOTING TARGET INCLUDING A ROTATABLY MOUNTED HOLDING PLATE FOR AN ANNULAR SUPPORT DISC CONCENTRICALLY HOLDING THE TARGET. A PLUG, WHICH CAN BE INSERTED INTO THE SHOT HOLE, IS MOUNTED IN A CENTRAL BORE OF THE HOLDING PLATE AND FORMS THE AXIS OF ROTATION OF THE SUPPORT DISC AND THE TARGET. A MEASURING DEVICE IS PROVIDED WHOSE SENSOR CONTACTS THE CIRCUMFERENCE OF THE SUPPORT DISC TO SHOW THE ECCENTRICITY OF THE SHOT HOLE. ALSO A METHOD OF AND APPARATUS FOR PRINTING TARGETS AND PUNCHING POSITIONING HOLES SIMULTANEOUSLY.

March 13, 1973 KRAUSSER ET AL 3,719,998

TARGET EVALUATION Filed Feb. 27, 1970 5 v a Sheets-Sheet 1 /n venlors Heinz Krcusser Al red Krousser BY ATTORNEYS.

March 13, 1973 KRAUSSER ET AL 3,719,998

TARGET EVALUATION FiledFeb. 27, 1970 3 Sheets-Sheet 2 In ven fora.

Heini Kruusser Alfred Krousser ATTORNEYS.

United States Patent 3,719,998 TARGET EVALUATION Heinz Krausser and Alfred Krausser, Munich, Germany,

assiguors to Carl Edelmann G.m.b.H., Heidenheim (Brenz), Germany Filed Feb. 27, 1970, Ser. No. 15,079 Claims priority, application Germany, Feb. 28, 1969, P 19 10 345.8 Int. Cl. G01b 5/14 US. Cl. 33-174 R 4 Claims ABSTRACT OF THE DISCLOSURE Apparatus for the exact evaluation of hits on a shooting target including a rotatably mounted holding plate for an annular support disc concentrically holding the target. A plug, which can be inserted into the shot hole, is mounted in a central bore of the holding plate and forms the axis of rotation of the support disc and the target. A measuring device is provided whose sensor contacts the circumference of the support disc to show the eccentricity of the shot hole. Also a method of and apparatus for printing targets and punching positioning holes simultaneously.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION In the known devices of this type which are also known as quotient devices there is a concentric recess in the circular supporting disc for holding, wihout play, the paper target which is glued to the target disc and which represents the actual target. This assures that the centers of the paper target and of the supporting disc coincide exactly.

If the plug is now pushed through the shot hole into the centering bore disposed in the holding plate and the supporting disc is rotated by 360 the sensor of the measuring device in contact with the outer circumference ofthe supporting disc can measure the eccentricity of the supporting disc and thus the corresponding eccentricity of the shot hole.

The use of the conventional quotient devices requires the exclusive use of paper target centers in which the paper target is glued to the actual rectangular or square target cards. These target centers, however, are substantially more expensive than conventional targets since they must be constructed in two parts.

It is moreover a substantial drawback that the paper target itself, contrary to the cardboard targets, cannot be unequivocally identified so that it might happen during shooting matches that the paper targets are exchanged. To counteract such manipulations right from the start, the paper targets are not permitted in international or other important matches.

It has also been shown to be particularly disadvantageous that the paper targets, which, in order to be accurately centered in the recess of the supporting disc must have a thickness of approximately 2 mm., throw a shadow on the target cards when the light comes from the side so that the shooter no longer sees the target as the circular paper target but as an oval surface which is distracting and irritating.

A further drawback of the known device is that due to the different sizes of paper targets used in the different matches, a whole set of supporting discs or centers must be available for each quotient device, since a separate supporting disc of a certain size is required for the evaluation of paper targets of one size. It also happens once in a while that no suitable supporting disc is available for the paper targets of a shooting target.

Patented Mar. 13, 1973 It is the object of the present invention to provide a device which permits the use of one-piece targets, independent of their outline and the shape of the bulls-eye forming the actual target while using only a single sup porting disc.

The invention is particularly intended to permit the evaluation of hits on a one-piece target with the same accuracy as with the so-called paper targets which, due to the abovementioned drawbacks, are not permitted in national and international shooting championships.

These and other objects are accomplished, according to the present invention, in that the supporting plate is provided with positioning pins and the target is provided with corresponding holes.

Advantageously the supporting disc and the target are provided with three positioning pins and holes, respectively, which are oflset by and disposed at the same distance from the center of the supporting disc and the target disc.

In order to facilitate placing the target onto the supporting disc, the diameter of the preferably cylindrical fitting pins decreases in their upper region and the pins are provided with a tapered tip or are rounded.

Since in the apparatus according to the present invention it is very important that the holes in the target are disposed at a uniform distance from the center of the bulls-eye in order to assure that the center of the bullseye does indeed coincide with the center of the supporting disc after the target has been placed onto the positioning pins, it is particularly advantageous to manufacture the targets in such a manner that the printing of the target and the cutting of the holes occurs in one process step.

The apparatus for producing the targets may be so constructed that punches are disposed in a guide in or next to the printing block for printing the target. These punches are concentrically disposed with respect to the center of the bulls-eye and the printing table is constructed as a die in the area opposite the punches.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS FIG. 1 is a partial sectional View through the apparatus for evaluating the hits on a target where the individual components are shown in an expanded state for reasons of clarity.

FIG. 2 is a plan view of the apparatus of FIG. 1.

FIG. 3 is a schematic sectional view of a device for producing the targets constructed according to the present invention.

FIG. 4 is an elevational partially sectional view of the apparatus.

DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS As can be seen in FIGS. 1 and 4, a holding plate 12 for supporting disc 13 is rotatably mounted in frame 11 of the device. In the supporting disc 13, which is annular, and has an open center generally indicated at 13 are three cylindrical centering or positioning pins 14 disposed at the same distance from the center of the supporting disc and olfset by 120 with respect to one another. The positioning pins are each provided with a tapered tip. The target 15 intended for evaluation, after it is removed from any appropriate holder in which it Was disposed during shooting, is provided with holes 16 corresponding to positioning pins 14 and is placed onto supporting disc 13. Since the holes 16 are disposed at the same distance from the center of the bulls-eye 17 printed on target 15, which bulls-eye represents the actual target for the shooter, and as the pins 14 are disposed from the center of supporting 3 disc 13, there is assurance that the center of the target 15 exactly coincides with that of the supporting disc 13.

To evaluate the hits on the target, a conical plug 20, provided with a centering pin 18 and a knurled head 19, is pushed through a shot hole 21 in the target 15. The annular supporting disc 13 on which the target 15 is mounted is then displaced with respect to the holding plate 12 in such a manner that the centering pin 18 of plug 20, extending through the target 15 and the circular open center in supporting disc 13, comes to lie in the centering bore 22 coaxially disposed in holding plate 12. This holding plate is then rotated 360 in a known manner. Due to the frictional resistance created between the mating surfaces of the supporting disc 13 and the holding plate 12, this disc will rotate with the holding plate.

In rotating holding plate 12 with supporting disc 13, the axis of rotation of the supporting disc 13 and of the target 15 passes exactly through the center of the shot hole 21. The eccentricity of the shot hole 21 with respect to the center of the bulls-eye 17 or the center of the supporting disc 13, which is identical therewith, can be determined without difficulty by means of a suitable, known measuring device 35 mounted on frame 11. When the shot hole is in the exact center of target 15 the eccentricity will be zero. The sensor 23 of this measuring device 35 is in contact with the outer circumference of the supporting disc 13, as shown in FIG. 2. The supporting disc 13 is rotated by 360", and the difference between the maximum and the minimum value shown by indicator 24 of the measuring device is equal to twice the eccentricity of the shot hole 21.

It is also possible to calibrate the indicator 24 of the measuring device 35 which is preferably provided with a pointer so that it indicates the value when the centers of the annular plate 13 and the holding plate 12 coincide. In this case, the maximum deviation from the 0 value measured by the indicator 24 of the measuring device 35 would directly correspond to the eccentricity of the shot hole 21 with respect to the center of bulls-eye 17.

As can be seen in FIG. 3, guides 26 are disposed next to the printing block 25 for printing the targets. The printing block is mounted to be moved toward and away from the table 30. These guides are set back somewhat with respect to the actual printing plate 27 so that they do not come in contact with the printing roller 28 inking the printing plate. Punches 29 are mounted in guides 26 concentrically disposed with respect to the center of the bullseye. They are coupled in a suitable manner with the mechanism actuating the printing block 25 so that they are pressed downwardly, synchronously with the printing of the target on cardboard 31 placed on the printing table 30. This cardboard passes intermittently below printing plate 27, through the target cardboard and into the bores 32 disposed in printing table 30 so that table 30 is also a die. The bores 32 simultaneously serve to remove the waste material 33 cut out of the target cardboard.

As the block 25 moves up and down and carries the printing plate 27 with it, the punches 29 also move up and down while the punch guides 26 are stationary. After the printing plate 27 has been moved upwardly, the inking roller 28 moves horizontally back and forth in order to ink the bottom of the printing plate 27.

The advantage of the apparatus according to the invention for evaluation of the hits on a target is mainly that one-piece targets can be used which can be manufactured in a single process step and thus very economically or conversely, that it is now possible to evaluate one-piece targets just as accurately as the relatively more expensive paper targets discs.

Since the centering is accomplished by means of the holes punched out of the disc and by the positioning or centering pins it is also possible that a multitude of target discs which differ from one another as regards size or shape, as well as regards size or shape of the bulls-eye, can be placed on a uniform supporting disc and evaluated.

It will be understood that the above description of the present invention is susceptible to various modifications, changes and adaptations, and the same are intended to be comprehended within the meaning and range of equivalents of the appended claims.

We claim:

1. In a device for target hit evaluation of the type including a frame, a holding plate means rotatably mounted in said frame, means defining a bore in said holding plate and which is disposed at the axis of rotation thereof, a measuring means having a sensor and mounted in spaced relationship with said holding plate means, a target supporting annular disc means, a target having shot holes therein and mounted on said disc means, a plug means insertable through a shot hole in the target and through said annular disc means into said bore to secure said disc means to said holding plate in frictional engagement therewith and for rotation about the axis of rotation of said holding plate, said disc means, when so mounted on said holding plate, contacting said sensor along the peripheral edge of said disc means, the improvement wherein said target supporting disc means has target positioning pins thereon and said target means are provided with holes corresponding to said pins for properly positioning said target on said target supporting disc means.

2. A device as defined in claim 1 wherein said positioning pins are disposed apart and are equidistant from the center of said target supporting disc means and said holes are disposed 120 apart and are equidistant from the center of said target means.

3. A device as defined in claim 2 wherein said pins and said holes have circular cross sections.

4. A device as defined in claim 3 wherein the diameter of each pin decreases in its upper portion.

References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 2,264,296 12/1941 Clark 33174 R 2,682,112 6/1954 Iorgensen 33-174 R 2,677,189 5/1954 Wiles 33 -174 R 2,521,087 9/1950 Paulus 33174 R 2,292,501 8/1942 Wiles, Jr. 33-174 R HARRY N. HAROIAN, Primary Examiner 

